The Orb and the Scepter
by atron2
Summary: Two years after the Great Thaw Elsa is still fighting some inner demons, when a new threat to Arendelle arises. Rated T for later chapters.
1. Prologue

Prologue

The man stood on the deck of the ship, surrendered to the rolling of the ship, the unsteadiness that non-sailors experience while walking on the sea, and the salty taste of the air. The ship charted a southwest directory, and there were clouds in that direction, as well as the west. Other than that the day, drawing near it's end, was bright and cloudless.

Dinner had just ended. He had eaten lightly—one always does while at sea, if one is unaccustomed to the rolling of the sea—and he had then quickly headed for fresh air.

His mind should likely have been fixed on his journey, but instead it was fixed on home. So much so that he did not hear his wife approach until she was standing by his side, joining him at the railing and linking her arm in his. "A beautiful evening, is it not?" she asked.

He had looked her direction, a brief reprieve from his thoughts, as she gazed out over the ocean. Turning his head back to the sea he answered, "Yes, I suppose it is. As beautiful a day at sea as can be had."

"You say that unconvincingly. What is troubling you?"

"I'm concerned about affairs at home."

"Home, or our daughters?"

The man quickly met his wife's eyes, "Our eldest."

His wife sighed. "That is always cause for concern."

"My concern is new, to myself at least." The man turned his gaze back to the sea. It was easier to look over the water now, the sun having just dipped beneath the western clouds. One wondered if they looked dark because of the approaching night or if it meant bad weather was on its way. "I've been wondering, what would happen if people found out about what we've labored to hide?"

"Then she will have to adapt to people and how they will react."

"My worries run deeper than that, I'm afraid." Here he turned to face his wife directly. "For someone in her inevitable role, such knowledge among the general population could…people can react, very negatively to things they do not understand. Could this not pose a danger for her?"

The man's wife looked troubled. "Yes, I suppose it would."

"I have begun to question whether we've done the right thing. We've only taught her to hide it; shouldn't we also teach her about how to handle affairs should people find out? To prepare her for and tell her of the risks it would pose?"

"It seems a wise idea."

"Or even," he continued, "as she'll be of age in three years, whether she and we believe hiding it is wise to begin with?"

"We all decided it was."

"Yes, but maybe we can control the message. It might be better for the citizens and our daughters safety if people found out under a controlled revealing."

The man's wife nodded, looking again at the sea. The clouds were darkening, getting closer. "Yes, perhaps. We should plan on discussing these things with her once we arrive home."

"Your majesties!" The man and his wife turned around, a young sailor quickly walking up to them. "Begging your pardon, but the captain requests you return to below deck. It appears we are heading into a storm."

The king looked once more out at the sea, the clouds looking more menacing. "It appears so."

The young man departed, and the king and queen began to walk arm and arm across the deck. "Try not to burden yourself with this, we can attend to this when we arrive back home."

"Yes," the king replied. "When we arrive home."


	2. Chapter 1

p class="MsoNormal"Disclaimer: If I owned Frozen, we probably wouldn't have a sequel. But Disney does, so we probably will./p  
p class="MsoNormal"Chapter 1/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Out of a never dying habit, Elsa reached out a hand to open the door to her study while looking down at paperwork, only for the hand to hit air. Nearly a year had passed and she was still making this mistake. When she originally pledged to leave the doors open, she hadn't thought of including her office area in that offer. After the first year had passed, she had decided to include her study door in the pledge. This was done partly to leave her easily accessible, but mostly done to keep Anna happy./p  
p class="MsoNormal"There still remained plenty of days where she wished to close this one door though. Some days it was out of a desire not to be disturbed while working. Other days it was a desire to enjoy some solitude after irritating exchanges with officers and diplomats. Today definitely fell into the latter category. /p  
p class="MsoNormal"This time it was hours of trade meetings with dignitaries. The second half of the day was worse. Near the end some merchants from the Southern Isles had requested an audience in an attempt at persuading Elsa to re-establish trade between the two nations. Several Arendellian farmers, still upset with Elsa over the summer's crop harming snow two years past, had accompanied them./p  
p class="MsoNormal"It hadn't helped that Anna, who sometimes sat in on these meetings, had taken off with Kristoff to assist him on making ice deliveries. As if he needed the help./p  
p class="MsoNormal"Truth be told it had been tough cutting trade ties with two nations at once, but Arendelle had made it work by re-allocating what resources went to their remaining trade partners and what was received. Even if it hadn't worked, Elsa wasn't predisposed to reestablishing ties with the Southern Isles not only for what Hans had done, but that no royal correspondence had been received since Hans was returned. Elsa did believe that Hans acted alone, but it didn't make the Southern Isles look good when their monarch hadn't even sent a letter of apology acknowledging the treachery of the wayward prince./p  
p class="MsoNormal"Elsa came to her desk, set down the reports provided her during the meeting, and glanced at several new envelopes. Kai must've dropped off new correspondences, which included not just one, but two letters from Weselton. Unlike the Southern Isles, Weselton had been very persistent in communicating and pleading with Elsa, even two years later. She wasn't any keener on continuing on a relationship with Weselton then she was with the Southern Isles. To date, not a single letter had been replied to./p  
p class="MsoNormal"Even if she was keen on negotiating with Weselton, she wouldn't have time to deal with it. She had enough problems at home dealing with the people in her own kingdom that still harbored distrust towards her./p  
p class="MsoNormal"Elsa set aside the letters that had appeared while she was out of her study, and sat down with the intention of getting enough work done so that she could have the evening to herself. However, thoughts of her own farmers trying to defend a country whose representative had committed an assassination attempt continued to plague her. Han's and the Duke's actions should've resulted in a war, and some people in her own kingdom weren't taking her side./p  
p class="MsoNormal"Elsa took a breath, and attempted to push these thoughts aside. The non-Weselton letters could come first. The first was a friendly letter from Corona, from a princess named Rapunzel. She had been at the coronation, but Elsa didn't have the chance to meet her. The letter requested that they meet. The next one was from King Roderick of Monrovia. emTrade, partnership, suspicious naval activity near Weselton…/em Monrovia was an ally, and she appreciated the notification regarding suspicious naval activity, but the letter still rattled her. /p  
p class="MsoNormal"Elsa looked up from her desk. After the coronation most of her parent's portraits had been moved as was customary now that her reign had started. All but one of their portraits would have been put in storage had Elsa not requested that a few remain. Her father's coronation portrait had been hung in her study at Elsa's request. It was to be out of respect to her parents./p  
p class="MsoNormal"Tonight, however, it bothered her. The tradition was to stand there holding those two objects, the orb in one hand and the scepter in the other. She suddenly felt angry about the tradition of it all. Tradition had taken off her gloves. What did those two pieces of metal have to do with running a kingdom anyway? Did they even mean anything?/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Elsa focused on her Father's face. Calm, stoic even. Eyes focused straight ahead, standing straight, mouth straight. Eyebrows neither raised nor lowered. He almost looked expressionless. No indication of the stress that came with the job. It may have been the interpretation of the artist. She hoped it was./p  
p class="MsoNormal"She returned her gaze to the papers on the desk, trying again to push her stress—and the picture—from her mind. It hadn't helped her to see it on her coronation day, and it wasn't helping her now. The sentiment suddenly made her feel guilty, as though she were dishonoring her Father./p  
p class="MsoNormal"Before Elsa could dwell on these things any longer she heard hurried footsteps in the hall, and looked up again in time to see a blur resembling Anna run past her door, then the footsteps stopped before some more quick footsteps, and then Anna was standing in the doorway./p  
p class="MsoNormal""There you are! Where have you been?" Elsa couldn't think of a nice way to say what she was thinking, so instead of answering she gestured tiredly at the papers on her desk. Anna continued on, unfazed as she entered the room. "I mean before that! You weren't here fifteen minutes ago."/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Elsa didn't look up. Maybe Anna would take the hint. "So where've you been the last fifteen minutes then?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal""Well Elsa, it's a big castle. I went and checked other parts of it before coming back here. Actually I wasn't coming back here, I was going someplace else and happened to look in here while running by, which wasn't to look in here but to make sure I didn't hit the benches in the hallway, and here you were."/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Elsa kept her head down, even though it was very hard to read anything with Anna in the room. The hint wasn't being taken. "How was your day watching Kristoff work?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal""I wasn't watching, I was helping."/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Elsa couldn't prevent a small smirk as she finally looked up again at her sister, standing in front of the desk, a large smile on her face. She knew she would never understand where Anna's positive energy came from, but it was usually enjoyable anyway. "Oh you were, were you?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal"It was more of a statement than a question, but Anna appeared to miss the meaning, looking at books on a bookshelf besides Elsa's desk. "Yep! Kristoff did most of the cutting—well, all of the cutting—but that's more up his alley. I helped Sven mostly and drove the sled some." Elsa responded with some sort of noise that showed she had heard Anna, or at least heard that she'd stopped talking. Anna abandoned the bookcase and looked at Elsa. When Elsa didn't say anything she asked "So what are you doing?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Elsa had to work hard to keep the annoyance that she'd been flirting with out of her voice. "What does it look like Anna?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Elsa kept her head down, finally able to read a few sentences as she heard Anna move behind her, sensing her over her shoulder. Elsa chose to continue trying to ignore her. "Well, it looks like boring paperwork." Silence was Elsa's response, and Anna moved back to the front of the desk, her demeanor toned down. "So is it the work that's bothering you, or something else?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal""It's neither. Nothing is bothering me."/p  
p class="MsoNormal""That's not true. And if it were work you'd tell me, so it's something else. What is it?" /p  
p class="MsoNormal"Anna's tone was soft, which did nothing to disarm Elsa. "I told you, nothing."/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Anna was undeterred. "You're shutting yourself up again."/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Elsa still kept her gaze on her desk, but raised a hand and pointed to the door. "No I am not."/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Anna finally allowed some of her own annoyance to show. "That door being open means nothing when you act like this!"/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Elsa looked up again, surprise written on her face at Anna's sudden outburst. She suddenly couldn't find her thoughts as Anna stood there, angered and upset. "Anna,"/p  
p class="MsoNormal""No, let me finish!" Elsa leaned back in her chair a bit, looking every bit like someone in an uncomfortable situation. "I know you are working on letting people in, but that needs to start with me! Tell me what's wrong with you, what's not wrong, or right I guess. Let me help, don't let me help, I don't care, but you have to talk to me." The volume in Anna's voice was coming back down./p  
p class="MsoNormal"Elsa broke eye contact with Anna and gazed downward again. "I'm sorry," she said softly. "You're right."/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Anna took a seat in a chair near the desk. "So what is it, really?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Elsa sighed, looked at Anna, then down at the desk, then at Anna again who gave a small smile and raised her eyebrows just slightly. Anna didn't need to make herself seem anymore non-threatening, already being as safe a confidant as there was. That didn't make these types of conversations any easier for Elsa, however, even after two years./p  
p class="MsoNormal"Elsa took another breath before finally starting. "I want….I suppose I need to know something about Father." Elsa expected some kind of response from Anna, but Anna remained seated and uncharacteristically quiet, with her small smile still present and her hands in her lap. Elsa turned in her chair and gestured towards the painting depicting their Father at his coronation. "What do you see there?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Now Anna looked confused. "Father?" She was trying to find a trick answer because this must be a trick question, but couldn't find it./p  
p class="MsoNormal""Yes, but anything unusual?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Anna stared again. "…People?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Now it was Elsa's turn to be confused. "What?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal""You know, the people. The artist put them in on the sides in the pews as if you were looking at him down the aisle, but there is absolutely no way they were there when this painting was made. I bet they weren't even in the chapel when he was painting Father."/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Elsa looked back up at the painting. She had never noticed that before. "Ok, I suppose that's true, but what about Father? Is there anything unusual about him?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Anna stared hard at the painting again. "He's….wearing a sash as a belt?" Elsa rolled her eyes. "What? I don't know what you're looking at, or even if we're looking at the same painting."/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Elsa suddenly felt as though she couldn't talk about the perception of their Father that the painting gave her, and decided to share her other concern. "His hands, what he's holding."/p  
p class="MsoNormal""Oh, the orb and the scepter." Elsa nodded. "But what bothers you about that?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Elsa was getting a headache. Why was something as simple as talking to Anna so difficult? "Because it's…tradition." Anna looked confused again. "Tradition….I don't know, I guess tradition irritates me. It was because of tradition that I had to take off my gloves. Holding those objects is tradition."/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Anna's face still showed confusion. "When did you have to take off your gloves?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal""During the coronation, right before I picked up the orb and scepter. The bishop wouldn't let me keep them on, and I was very close to revealing my powers."/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Anna's face had returned to its usual happy state. "Revealing your powers was good though. If it hadn't happened, we still wouldn't be talking. Besides, if this is bothering you, talk to someone who knows about it."/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Elsa broke eye contact again. "No, I, I don't think so."/p  
p class="MsoNormal""Why not?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Elsa had to remind herself that talking with her sister wasn't a bad thing. "Because, that would mean, talking to someone else about this." She had spoken haltingly, merely saying the words a challenge./p  
p class="MsoNormal"Anna looked at Elsa sympathetically. "Oh, but Elsa, you need to talk to people. Otherwise your problems will just stay unfixed. And I mean you need to talk to the emright/em people, not any people, er, person." Both sisters knew Hans was the person who had prompted the clarification. /p  
p class="MsoNormal"Elsa still spoke haltingly, feeling anxious just at the thought. "Ok. Suppose, I would, talk to someone. Who?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal""The Bishop at our chapel. He'd old enough to know the traditions, so he might know what they mean."/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Elsa, still feeling wildly uncomfortable, nodded. "Ok. I might visit him tomorrow."/p  
p class="MsoNormal""You will visit him tomorrow. I'll walk down there with you." Anna was smiling again. "Was there anything else?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Elsa could feel the painting staring down at her. emYes. /em"No, no that was it." Elsa felt guilty for lying, but she had had all the soul baring she could take for a day. Or week./p  
p class="MsoNormal"Anna got up. "Well, I should go make sure our Ice Master and Deliverer is getting unpacked ok."/p  
p class="MsoNormal""Uh, wait, I never asked why you came in."/p  
p class="MsoNormal""Just to say hi and see how you were doing. I hadn't seen you yet today." Anna never ceased to amaze Elsa. "See you tomorrow."/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Anna was nearly out of the door before Elsa was able to speak her thoughts again. "Anna, wait." Anna turned to face her, concern now on her face. Elsa swallowed. "Thank you. For this."/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Anna continued out the door, but not before Elsa saw her beaming with joy./p  
div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; line-height: 12.75pt; margin: 3.75pt 0in 3.75pt 0in;" align="center"hr style="color: #a0a0a0;" align="center" noshade="noshade" size="1" width="100%" /div  
p class="MsoNormal" /p  
p class="MsoNormal"The next morning Elsa and Anna were walking to the chapel. Anna was excitedly sharing some news about Kristoff's work yesterday, and Elsa had another headache. She never did finish her work the previous night and so did not get to enjoy some down time. She hadn't slept well either, due to the anticipation of the day's planned visit. She would've welched on the agreement, but Anna wasn't giving her a choice./p  
p class="MsoNormal""That's why we were back late, we didn't have enough ice here so we went up the mountain quickly to cut some." Anna had been detailing the previous day to Elsa, and so far was doing most of the talking. "Oh! You should've seen the butcher shop, a complete mess. He was not happy with us at all. Kristoff is still irritated about it."/p  
p class="MsoNormal""Hm-hm."/p  
p class="MsoNormal""You ok? You haven't said much."/p  
p class="MsoNormal"emI've said nothing./em "Yes." They were quickly approaching the chapel. The city by the castle was small, so it was a quick walk. "Is this really a good idea?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal""Of course it is." /p  
p class="MsoNormal""But I'm the queen, I'm not supposed to question tradition."/p  
p class="MsoNormal""You're not questioning it, you're just going to ask questions to know more about it." It sounded all the same to Elsa, but there was no time to debate the point, for they had already arrived./p  
p class="MsoNormal"Elsa didn't want to visit the chapel, and would rather meet the bishop elsewhere. As her coronation day wasn't something she wanted to dwell on, she had been inside it just once since that day, for Anna's wedding. Having learned her lesson from her experience with Hans, Anna and Kristoff took things slower, waiting a year to get engaged and another three months to be married. That would've been fast for Elsa, but Kristoff was ok getting married that quickly because he was excited to have met someone who could tolerate him, and he genuinely cared for Anna. Anna was in a relative hurry because…well, because she was Anna. No matter who she married it wasn't going to be a long drawn out affair getting to the altar. Elsa didn't object; Kristoff was a good man and she was happy for them./p  
p class="MsoNormal"The chapel was a small but tall building. The entrance was in the back, with the bishops office being accessible through a small door off the front of the sanctuary. Elsa paused at the door, then turned to Anna. "Ready?" But Anna wasn't standing next to her. Elsa completely turned around to see Anna walking away. "Anna, wait! Where are you going?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Anna turned towards the chapel again. "Hm? Oh, you know…errands."/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Elsa's eyes were wide open and she looked slightly panicked. "Errands? What errands do you have? No, no no, Anna, you need to go in with me." Anna shook her head. "Really, you can't let me do this by myself."/p  
p class="MsoNormal""Of course I can. How else are you going to learn to talk to people if you don't practice without me?" Anna smiled and waved. "Bye Elsa. Let me know how it goes." And she turned and left./p  
p class="MsoNormal"Elsa, now needing to concentrate on breathing, turned back to the door of the chapel. She could feel a familiar tightness in her chest that materialized whenever she was in a situation where she needed to socialize with other people./p  
p class="MsoNormal"In spite of her anxiety, Elsa entered the chapel. The lighting was low. In the front of the chapel she could see a light coming from the right of the altar, indicating where the bishop's office was. She slowly walked towards the front, when the door she came in shut. Elsa jumped, and she could hear noises from the office, where the bishop was no doubt rising from his desk to see who his visitor was./p  
p class="MsoNormal"The Bishop stepped out of his office, took a moment to let his eyes adjust to the darker room, and then a look of surprise came over his face. "Queen Elsa! What a pleasant surprise. To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Elsa was still standing halfway down the aisle, and desperately wishing Anna was with her as she wasn't quite sure how to proceed. Standing in front of crowds and courts was an easier task to transition to—one-on-one conversations weren't. "I, ah, apologize for coming by unannounced. There was a question that came up last night and my sister Anna thought you may be able to help." The Bishop nodded. "I really am sorry, but I'm afraid I don't know your name."/p  
p class="MsoNormal""Frederick."/p  
p class="MsoNormal""Frederick." A pause followed that was uncomfortable for her. "May we…" she gestured towards the office./p  
p class="MsoNormal""Of course." Frederick turned and returned to his office. Elsa, after hesitating a moment and entertaining the idea of running out, followed./p  
p class="MsoNormal"Frederick's office was small, organized, and clean. There was a small desk with one end at the wall and a chair opposite the bishop's for guests. All this was to the right of the door. On the left side straight in from the door was a very full bookshelf. A window behind the Bishop's chair and a small kerosene lamp on the desk provided light. There wasn't anything else in the room. The Bishop gestured to the chair opposite his to invite Elsa to sit and then he took a seat himself. After another moment of uncomfortable silence Frederick took the initiative to speak first. "What I can help you with, your majesty?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Elsa swallowed before starting. As with her conversation with Anna, talking suddenly felt like a chore. "My sister and I were talking last night about my Father's coronation portrait. Looking at it," emOh, how do I put this?/em "my attention was drawn to the objects in his hands. Neither Anna nor I know what the orb and the scepter are for. She suggested that you would probably know. What do they signify?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal"To Elsa's confusion Frederick actually smiled before speaking. "What are a monarch's chief responsibilities?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Elsa wasn't sure she appreciated having her question answered with a question, but knew that part of Frederick's job was to no doubt be a teacher so she understood. "If by responsibilities you mean duties, you could mean any of hundreds."/p  
p class="MsoNormal""While that is true, I am not referring to duties. All the duties of the monarch can be condensed into two responsibilities." There was another pause. Elsa didn't know what Frederick was getting at. "A good monarch," Frederick intoned in a soft and low voice once he realized Elsa didn't have an answer, "takes care of their nation. This is done in two ways. The first is to protect their way of life, to ensure the kingdom is prosperous, and that the general order of society is upheld. This is a very heavy weight to bear, and a monarch bears it in time of war or peace. That is the orb."/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Elsa nodded. "And the scepter?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal""With the scepter the monarch upholds the law, and administers justice against enemies both foreign and domestic."/p  
p class="MsoNormal""Hm." Elsa laid her hands on the edge of the desk and absorbed the information. Frederick sat back in his chair, waiting patiently. "So it's not just empty tradition?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Frederick leaned slightly forward. "The only time a tradition becomes empty is when those alive no longer know its meaning. Every tradition was started for a reason."/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Elsa brought her eyes up to meet Frederick's again. "Then that causes another question. Why couldn't I keep my gloves on when I held them?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal""It was believed that nothing should stand in the way between the monarch and those responsibilities. In the old norse that was recited when you held them, they are referred to as 'holy properties'. Previous monarchs of Arendelle refused to wear gloves in the manner of monarch's of other kingdoms. It is a good thing to take those 'properties' into your hands, but also a very solemn one."/p  
p class="MsoNormal""Then, if I may make an observation, if this is so solemn why did you smile when I first asked?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Frederick leaned and allowed a small smile again. "I smiled because this is a conversation all future monarchs must have. You grandfather had it before his coronation, as did your father when he was young. I wanted to have this conversation with you before your coronation, but the gates were closed. I've wanted to have it since, but you've kept yourself distant from the chapel and myself." /p  
p class="MsoNormal"Elsa suddenly felt a little guilty, but kept silent about why she had stayed away. "And why is this a necessary conversation?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal""I said all emgood/em monarchs fulfill those two responsibilities. One may benefit from knowing there is a thirst for power in the human heart. Some rulers give into that thirst, and instead of protecting their people they use them for their own gain and wealth. I suspect this is why these two objects found their way into the coronation ceremony in Arendelle. If nothing else, it keeps the importance of the task in the mind of the person holding them."/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Elsa was surprised to find herself comfortable enough to smile, even chuckle. "You don't know why this tradition started? Does this mean it's empty?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Frederick shrugged. "It's a very old tradition." Another awkward pause ensued, and Frederick leaned forward again. "May I ask, is there something else bothering you?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Elsa's first thought was that he was being forward. Her second thought was that Frederick must have whatever sixth sense Anna obviously had since neither had a problem seeing through her despite what she considered to be her well-honed skill of hiding her emotions. The best bet was to respond with grace. "No, thank you, there is not." Frederick merely stared at her and raised an eyebrow. "Really, I'm fine. My only questions were about the orb and scepter."/p  
p class="MsoNormal""If I may be so bold, I didn't ask if you had other questions. I asked if there was something else bothering you."/p  
p class="MsoNormal""If I may be bold in reply, what makes you think something is bothering me?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Frederick gave a knowing smile. "Dear young lady, I've been a priest twice as long as you've been alive. You don't have this job for that length of time without becoming good at reading people. Something is bothering you."/p  
p class="MsoNormal"A familiar annoyance was creeping on Elsa. "Even if there was something bothering me, I wouldn't be comfortable conversing about it."/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Frederick was undeterred. "Why would you be uncomfortable conversing about it?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Now annoyance was joined by a familiar anxiety. "Conversing isn't something I do easily."/p  
p class="MsoNormal""We've been conversing now for the past ten minutes."/p  
p class="MsoNormal""We have," Elsa realized in a soft voice just above a whisper. How about that. Anna would be…excited, or proud. Something related to the emotion of happy./p  
p class="MsoNormal"The debate over, Frederick allowed his voice to return to it's usual soothing low tones. "Your majesty, please know that I counsel many, royalty and citizen alike. Whatever you have to tell me I will keep between you and myself. You can trust me as a confidant."/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Elsa took a deep breath, still very uncomfortable with the whole concept of soul-baring. "Ok. There was a second concern that came to mind while looking at my father's portrait. For the record, I have not shared this with Anna." Frederick nodded his understanding, and Elsa took another deep breath. "I, struggle, with insecurity in my role as queen. Every day is stressful. There are citizens that are still upset with me for what happened two years ago, farmers mainly. Others, merchants, are upset that trade has not been restored with Weselton, others are upset about the status of trade and diplomatic relations with the Southern Isles. This causes me grief. The actions of the Duke and Hans should've resulted in a war. I thought I was being benevolent in my response./p  
p class="MsoNormal""All this to say, I thought my father looked remarkably calm in his portrait. You said you knew him. Did he feel the same stress I feel?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Frederick mulled this over for several long feeling seconds before answering with another question. "What did your parents tell you about being a queen?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal"emNot much/em Elsa thought bitterly. Most of her preparation had to do with controlling her powers and acting in a regal manner. "It wasn't something that we discussed much. I assume they planned on doing most of the preparations when I was old enough to become queen."/p  
p class="MsoNormal""Well, then I should answer with a story. Your grandfather once told me of a conversation that he and your father had while your father was still rather young. He may have been around 10 years of age. He had told your father that a good leader needs to project confidence and a certain stature. A monarch, he said, should appear calm yet strong. Stress would occur, but as long as he was surrounded by others he should conceal, not feel."/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Elsa's expression darkened considerably. "You do not know what those words did to me."/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Frederick was slightly taken aback by the reaction. "No, I guess I don't. Tell me."/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Elsa sighed, and then began the story with obvious strain in her voice. "When I was eight, and Anna five, she was hurt in an accident involving my…my powers. She has no recollection of it, nor did she remember I even had powers after the incident. My parents decided that isolation from the outside world while I worked to learn to control my powers would be best. In trying to get me to control them, my Father used the same words; Conceal it, don't feel it." Elsa looked down. "And in doing so I shut myself up in my room for thirteen years, destroying my relationship with the one person who cared."/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Frederick didn't react at first, but instead just sat there to absorb what Elsa said. "A poor application of your grandfather's words. And one that was, I'm sure, born out of good intentions. These words, however, still apply to your job as queen."/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Elsa made a face. "How?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal""If you were on a ship, and the captain was running around constantly worried about sinking and, worse, was very vocal about it, would that make you confident in the safety of the voyage? In the same way a monarch must be resolute, giving their citizens peace of mind."/p  
p class="MsoNormal""So what of the stress? Am I just supposed to ignore it?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal""By no means. Every monarch should have one, maybe a few, people in their life that they can confide in, to let them know what's really going on. By having those relationships, it will help you deal with the stress. And if you're lucky enough that one of those people seek out that type of interaction with you, grab onto them. They are a rare asset to your reign." emAnna/em. More guilt made itself known to Elsa. "And to answer your original question, yes, your Father struggled with stress too. All leaders do."/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Though Elsa felt convicted and burdened by Frederick's words, she was grateful for the answers. But now that she had run out of questions, she desperately wanted to leave. "Well," she started and took a breath, "that is reassuring, I suppose." Frederick sent a sympathetic smile her way, and Elsa stood. "I thank you for your time Frederick, but my sister is waiting and I should take leave." It wasn't necessarily true, since she didn't know where Anna was and it could be certain she was keeping herself entertained, wherever she was./p  
p class="MsoNormal"As Elsa turned to her left to leave, Frederick, who had also stood, reached out his hand and lightly touched Elsa's arm. "Your majesty." Elsa stopped and turned her head enough to see him. Frederick spoke tenderly. "Please know this, if you ever need anything from me at all, I will help to the best of my abilities. Do not hesitate to call on me."/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Elsa wasn't used to such straightforward support, and a few seconds passed before she nodded. "Thank you, Frederick, I will keep that in mind."/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Frederick gave Elsa one last little smile, and she turned again to leave the office. She didn't look back again even though she heard the bishop follow at least as far as the office door, and she walked through the darkened sanctuary and out the back door into a much brighter Arendelle morning./p  
p class="MsoNormal"Before Elsa's eyes could really adjust and she could look around, she heard Anna's excited voice. "Elsa!" Elsa looked about quickly before she saw Anna, rising from where she had been sitting beside the door. Once standing Anna brushed off her dress, very un-princess like, while hobbling at the same time over to Elsa. "Oh! Oh, legs asleep, yikes."/p  
p class="MsoNormal""I thought you were going to go attend to 'errands'."/p  
p class="MsoNormal""Hm? Oh yeah, errands. Sure, I got those done really quick." Anna smiled and Elsa made no effort to hide the skepticism on her face. "So," Anna prodded as they started walking, "how did your visit go?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal""It was…helpful." Elsa knew that that word didn't do it justice, but how could she express what she was now feeling about her sister? Frederick's words about hanging on to the relationship with Anna continued to flood back on her./p  
p class="MsoNormal""Well good, I'm glad. What did you guys ta-whoa!" Anna was cut off by Elsa suddenly and tightly hugging her. Anna stood shocked. Hugs from Elsa were rare. Hugs initiated by Elsa were pretty much non-existant. "Ok," Anna finally said, wrapping her own arms around Elsa./p  
p class="MsoNormal"They stood like that for a few seconds before Elsa whispered "Thank you Anna. For being you, and helping me. Never stop."/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Anna, enjoying the moment even though Elsa sounded like she was fighting back tears, responded. "Yes, ok. Um, you don't stop either. I mean don't stop being you, not you being me. If you were being me you should probably stop."/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Elsa broke their hug, cleared her throat, and walked on with as much regality as she could muster at that moment. Anna, trying to suppress a chesire grin, and for the most part failing, held in her curiosity as long as she could, occasionally glancing at Elsa before finally having to ask her question./p  
p class="MsoNormal" /p  
p class="MsoNormal""So, what did you guys talk about?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal" /p  
p class="MsoNormal"A/N/p  
p class="MsoNormal"I find Elsa to be an incredibly fascinating character. I had an idea for a oneshot—this chapter—but several other plot ideas came to me as a result, and the next thing I knew I had a ten page outline. So I'm writing a story now, I guess./p  
p class="MsoNormal" /p  
p class="MsoNormal"On that note, I have a request. I have not written creatively for nearly a decade it seems, and my last attempt was a much shorter story than this one will be. Writing fiction is something I would like to improve on, hence my posting the story on this website. My request then is that those reading this story would write reviews. I'm not interested in flames, of course, but rather honest feedback. If I'm doing something right, tell me. Conversely, if I could be doing something better, tell me that too. This will, I hope, contribute to the improvement of my writing skill./p 


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